National Republican., 1887-11-04
American Commerce.


England has been more wisely governed
In rome respects tuan any other nation that
ever existed. Its wisdom, to q great ex.
tent, consisted OF an exalted selhshness
that sought every method to add to the
wealth OF the nation.
One OF the theories OF English rulers for
centuries has been that money can accom-
pllsh almost everything, and It has used
money freely, but always with the we'll
defined purpose Of getting more money
than 1t expended.
1t subsidized nations aud armies to over
throw Napoleon because It feared France as
a commercial rival, and even that 1t might
become dangerous as maritime power
England had obtained commercial gu
premacy by a system Of bounties.
This English system OF bouutles has been
in existence for centuries, commencing
even before the days of Cromwell.
In the seventeenth century the English,
greatly irrtated by the increasing activity
of the Dutch and finding that they could
not build up their marine under the ex-
istiDg state OF things resorted to legisla-
tive measures to repress the one and to al
vance the other. The first step taken was
the enactment OF law that provided "for
increasing the shipping OF England, OF late
much diminished, none OF the kings sub
iects shall hereafter ship any merchandise,
either outward or homeward, but only 10
the ships Of the kings subjects, on for
feiture OF ships and merchandise; in which
ships also the greater part OF the crews
shall be the kings subjects"
In 1861 this law was superseded by thc
| navigation act. In 1860 this act was cou.
firmed by the royal parliament under Charlie
| II and made more stringent. Itestablishe
| feur rules:
| ]. None except Englishmen should engage
the trade and navigation to the colonies ofth
kingdom. The ships were to be Euglish bull
| and manned by a crew whereof at least three
fourlhs were Englishmen.
| .. Europeans could trade TO England oaly
| from their own ports
| 8. Expectations should take place ftom tn.
colonies only to the mother country.
4. The coastlng trade was reserved to ma.
tional vessels.
At that time the Dutch controlled the
ocean and the object OF England was to
break down the Dutch supremacy. She dii
not stop with passing this navigation act
She began series OF aggiesslons agaius'
the Dutch, which resulted In two blood,
wars. The policy thus inaugurated wa
attended with successful results. Tht
shipping OF England increased rapidly, aud
found profitable employment in trade
which they had not before enjoyed. From
1868 to 1774, according to Anderson, BrltIsr
tonnage increased from 05,2G6 to 79S ,Sji
while during the same period the increase
OF foreign tonnage was from 46,63i to G5,
1872. By 1850 the Dutch had been crushed
and Britannia was queen of the seas.
The achievement Of American independ
ence raised new rival to English CON
mercial supremacy, and foreseeing this,
system was inaugurated for breaking
, down, which resulted In the war Of 1Sll
by which American commercial indepenl
ence was achieved, as political independ
ence had been by the war OF the revolution
The treaty OF 1915 provided for recipro
city, and the Indies and the Canadas wer,
opened to the American shlpmasters, IN,
after various changes complete reciprocit
wac established In 1850. From that tim
England has steadily pursued the polio
of protecting her marine from the DANCE
Of competition by subsidies, which max
investment III it always profitable, aud sh
has, at the same time, deprecated tn
adoption Of the same system by other M
a tions.
Under Whig administration a subsd
4 was granted to o line of American steamer;
! the Collins, then the finest alloat, TO ru
= from New York to Liverpool. This lin
was sustained for some years in compel
tion with the Cunsrders whose subside
were gradually increased to $725, yea
, from the English government. Yet tn
= Collins line was driving it to the wall unit
in 1857, when, under Democratic admlr
= istration, our government refused to rene
e Collins's contracts. England was paying t
. her merchant ships annually in subsiilC
g $5,000,000. Cunard received $725,0O)
n year, but Collins was refused 1856, 900.
: Itis a notorious fact that the hue-and.ci
raised against the Collins line was chief
instigated by the agents of the BrlLls
}. Lloyds in this country, Just as the gre
cry against subsidies now Is from the agen
Of the British steamship owners.
+, It is possible that this administration 7
c membered the precedent set by PresIIet
n Pierce when 1t refused to pay the money q
II propriated by Congress in aid OF America
!, commerce, though Pierce succeeded In &C
u ting Democratic Congress to refuse Il
!, money, and did not have to disobey a la
a to aid British shipowners.
The busy fleets OF England, France, Ital
c Germany, Belgium, aud Spain, oil SUBJ
4 died, and that by governments strugglir
"a to meet their liabilities Instead Of wonie
Y ing how to dispose of their surplus none
i } are certainly strong proofs of the efllcien
n of the policy under which their successf
operations are conducted, while the ID
and dilapidated condition Of our own Gu
4, riers admonsh us that changed relations
", our government toward them are ind
4, pensably necessary to their existence.